AD39 - Eastern Los Angeles County

What are Assembly District Delegates?

Every two years, the CA Democrats elect 7 self-identified females and 7 other than self-identified females from each Assembly District in CA as delegates to the state party. Those who are elected will have a chance to vote for the new party chair and other leadership. The race is hotly contested and will determine how welcoming, grassroots-focused and innovative the party becomes or how beholden it will remain to big money interests.

Angelica Duenas

Amy Fall

Connie Kazmer

Marlin Medrano

Vice President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council and Healthcare Activist

Liliana Sanchez

Grassroots Environmentalist

Jeremy Aldridge

Facility Director, City of Los Angeles Dept of Recreation and Parks

Daniel Dominguez

Public Service Employee

Felipe Escobar

Community Organizer

Gilbert Feliciano

Activist

Taylor Gill

Filmmaker and Activist

Dan Gordon

Communications for Progressives/Schmolitics Podcast

Stan Moroncini

IT Manager, Veteran

Your Progressive Executive Board Candidate

Vote for Delegate AND Executive Board Rep.

Marlin Medrano

Vice President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council and Healthcare Activist

Detailed Information

Marlin Medrano

I am a local activist, single mother, and a lifelong resident of the San Fernando Valley. I was elected in 2016 to represent our Congressional District as a Bernie Sanders delegate at the Democratic Convention. I am the Treasurer of the CDP Progressive Caucus, a local member of the Democratic Socialist of America Valley Chapter, and the Vice President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council. I will continue to fight for progressive values and issues for our community. I stand for: Medicare for All, Public Schools, Environmental Justice including the Green New Deal, LGBTQ+ rights, and believe in the value of unions.

Michelle Boley

I’m Michelle Boley- a resident, business owner, and homeowner in the 39th district running for ADEM Delegate with my fellow SFV Progressives. I’m a veteran of the US Air Force, where I served as a medic and I have volunteered on Democratic campaigns since I was 18. Our house was Bernie canvassing headquarters for district 39 in the 2016 primary and I am one of the organizers of an OR chapter in the valley. In 2008 and 2012 I organized for Obama for America. Recently I’ve organized for SB 562, and canvassed for Prop 10 and the Public Bank initiative during the last election cycle. My work as a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to examine the most pressing issues of our timesÐ I’ve filmed scientists researching the impacts of climate change in the North Pole, the political revolution of Bernie Sanders, and the fight to protect our water in Standing Rock. I’ve worked to promote women in STEM and advocated for equal representation of women and minorities in Film and Television. Documenting these important struggles allowed me to examine our political successes and failures and informed my understanding of what can keep a good, popular idea from becoming a reality. Progressives are winning battles across the country, but for us to succeed legislatively we need to fill every position possible with supporters. This is a crucial moment for the Democratic Party, and I want ensure we’re moving toward a place where our inspiring party platform matches our political actions. We need to become the party that works for the majority of Americans againÐ a party that actually fights for big ‘New Deal-esque ideas to fix the problems that face our citizens. Our country has swung too far to the right Ð it’s time to take it back with a vision of an America that works for the 99%. My goal as an ADEM is to ensure California continues to lead the way on the most important issues of our timeÐ acting to mitigate climate change, supporting Medicare-for-All and Net Neutrality, protecting our public schools and unions, working to reform our justice system, fighting for policies that make CA better for the majority of our citizens, and ensuring our tax dollars are used effectively and without waste. I will elect leaders who’s voting records show a commitment to progressive policies and who put citizens interests above corporate money. Please vote for me and our Progressive slate.

Sara Cravens

Over the past few years I have become a community organizer without even knowing it. In my eagerness to learn more about our government and processes and officials, I have hosted numerous events for folks in my community for us all to learn more. I want us all to be more educated in our government so that we all can have better knowledge of why we are voting and what we are voting for. I believe being a delegate can be a next great step in my journey of organizing and learning.

Angelica Duenas

Mother of five, HR Professional, MA in Organizational Leadership, 2016 Bernie Sanders Delegate, Eco-Socialist and Member of Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council. As a lifelong resident of the Northeast San Fernando Valley I have seen how the Democratic Party has sold out the community and taken for granted the People’s trust. We have a real crisis on our hands and we need to act now. I believe in Medicare for All, Housing as a Right, a Humane Path to Citizenship, LGTBQ rights, and a Green New Deal. The time to take our power back is now! The way we are going to do it is with Grassroots activism and People Power! Please vote for Angelica Duenas for Assembly District Delegate. Madre de cinco hijos, profesional de recursos humanos, diploma de maestr’a en liderazgo organizacional, delegada de Bernie Sanders en 2016, ecosocialista y miembro del Consejo de Vecinal del çrea de Sun Valley. Como residente de toda la vida del Noreste del Valle de San Fernando, he visto como el Partido Democrata esta tomando la confianza del pueblo en vano. Nuestra comunidad ha sido pasada por alto. Tenemos una verdadera crisis en nuestras manos y tenemos que actuar ahora. Creo en Medicare para todos, el derecho de una Vivienda, un camino humanitario hacia la ciudadan’a, los derechos LGTBQ y una economa verde y de paz. ÁHoy es el momento de recuperar nuestro poder! ÁLo vamos a lograr con el activismo comunitario y el con el poder del pueblo! Por favor vota por Angelica Duenas para Delegada de Distrito de la Asamblea del Estado.

Amy Fall

Former Director of Fund Raising for Feel the Bern Democratic Club LA, I canvassed for Progressive Canadates in LA, Registered new voters at LA county fair, protestor and activist. I am a teacher, coach, artist, student and human being. I believe that people who come to a teacher are looking for change. They are looking to acquire or learn something about themselves. Sometimes it is a new skill; sometimes it is something they have forgotten they already possess.

Connie Kazmer

I have been a Democrat for over 40 years. The party has drifted too far to the right and is no longer the party of FDR. I have been called a Progressive but I call myself a Regressive. I want what my parents and grandparents had: a living wage, affordable health care, and the comfort that comes with knowing that Social Security will be available to me when I retire. I want to know that my children will be able to send their children to college without the burden of massive student loan debt. Corporations have taken over our country. Too many elected officials do the bidding of their corporate donors and do not do the job they were elected to do. The first responsibility of our government is to take care of the citizens of this country. We need to elect people that understand that people come before corporations. I have been a union member for 40 years. I am on the board of the Bernie Sanders Brigade. With that organization I helped organize and deliver donations for the Native Americans fighting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. I regularly donate food for the meals served downtown by Cloud Nine. I canvassed for Sanders in Nevada (twice), Arizona, and California. I attended the California Democratic conventions in Long Beach and San Diego as an observer. I was a runner up delegate to the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia and was in Philadelphia during the convention participating in rallies and marches. The issues that are most important to me are Medicare for All, a living wage, preservation of Social Security, prison reform, water conservation, and an agreement to halt climate change. Corporations need to pay their fair share of taxes. All of us need to remember that 320 million people have more power than 535 congresspeople. This is our country and we need to take it back from the people and corporations that are not serving us.

Liliana Sanchez

The time for change is now! And it begins with a bid for my candidacy as a Democratic Delegate for Assembly District 39. As your elected delegate, I will use my vote to speak for constituents living in the district, focusing on the following key issues that will create that change we seek. • Medicare for All • Corporate Money Out of Politics • Immigration Reform • Gun Reform to End Gun Violence • Tuition-Free Public College • Affordable Housing • Preservation of Open Spaces About me: • caregiver who specializes in care of seniors and their quality of life • a proud grassroots environmentalist activist who spearheaded the purchase of The Big Tujunga Canyon Park property, which is now owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy • the first Latina serving on the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council’s Land Use Committee • served on the STNC Mission College Committee that brought our long awaited (since 2009) Satellite Mission College to Sunland-Tujunga, which opened in 2016 • Feel the Bern Democratic Club, Los Angeles member • Dance Instructor, and Middle Eastern Music and Dance Magazine editor/publisher. Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. President Barack Obama

Jeremy Aldridge

As a Facility Director for the City of Los Angeles, I have served low income communities for almost twenty years. I have been a resident of Pacoima for four years, and of Los Angeles for twenty one. I was a Precinct Captain for Barack Obama in 2008 and a volunteer for Bernie Sanders in 2016. I am a member of the Rampart Division Community Police Advisory Board, and a long time Board Member and Treasurer of CRE Outreach, a non-profit performing arts organization dedicated to empowering underserved individuals from low-income populations in greater Los Angeles. I will fight for progressive values and policies focused on improving the lives of all Americans, especially the less fortunate among us. I believe that policies and positions such as Medicare for All, Environmental Justice including the Green New Deal, LGBTQi+ Rights, Sensible Immigration Reform, and an end to imperial War for Profit are the way to generate broad coalitions and political power.

Daniel Dominguez

The current two-party system has failed to truly represent the interests of the majority of Americans. The working class has primarily been viewed as a voting bloc to be won by whichever presidential candidate can convincingly appeal to their class interests, only to later fall in line with plutocratic policies that do nothing but enlarge the wealth of the wealthiest, wreak ever more havoc on the planet, and immiserate the lives of the many. Democratic representatives at all levels of government continue to use rhetoric that originated from the left, but we must now hold them accountable. If we wish to build a truly just society in which we all prosper we must fight for ideas such as Medicare for All, tuition-free college, greater access to social services and we mustn’t be afraid to propose more radical ideas like a $25 minimum wage, childcare for all, guaranteed maternity and paternity leave, and more social housing. In a wealthy society such as ours one job should be enough and no one should have to prove that they’re deserving of help.

I have spent most of my life in Los Angeles County and I now call the San Fernando Valley my home. At the present I spend my Saturday mornings as the instructor of a citizenship class offered through a partnership of the International Rescue Committee and the Los Angeles Public Library, at no cost to the public. I also work with other political organizations to organize around issues of labor, healthcare, and immigration justice. Since living in California’s 39th Assembly District I have held distinctly different employment positions, which has given me insight into what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet. I’ve also been fortunate enough to hold a staff position for a Congressional representative in Southern California which became a significant turning point in my political development. I believe that the political process needs to be more accessible and transparent for all.

Felipe Escobar

I’m running because I’m a proud product of the 39th district and I want to give back to the community that has given me so much. I attended Sun Valley Middle School, North Hollywood High, and Los Angeles Valley College before graduating from Cal State Northridge. Some of my happiest memories are from the 39th district such as when I bought my first video game console at Game Dude in North Hollywood, playing soccer at the Whitsett soccer field and celebrating my birthday at either Chuck E. Cheese or Peter Piper Pizza in Pacoima. Growing up in the district I saw first hand many of the environmental justice issues that communities in the district face such as not having enough green spaces for our families to use, poor access to affordable healthy food, and living next to various polluting industries. Those experiences inspired me to work as a Community Organizer for Pacoima Beautiful, where I work side by side with community members on finding solutions that can help make our communities more livable. My experiences have taught me that representation in politics is critical to ensure that policies that can help our communities are passed. We need elected officials that listen to the community, share our values and fight for those values. My values are progressive values, I believe that now more than ever is important for everyone to get involved and defend our communities against the terrible policies coming from the Federal administration that will hurt each and every one of us. I hope I can count on your vote for Assembly District Delegate.

Gilbert Feliciano

My name is Gilbert Feliciano and I’d like your vote for Assembly District Delegation.

Why? Because I’m here to kick ass. If you’d like your representative in District 39 to kick ass against the Trump agenda and the corrupt elements within our California Democratic Party, read no further…and I thank you for you vote .

As we’ve seen these past years, Neoliberalism fuels inequality allowing prime conditions for a silver-spooned billionaire real estate developer to become a President Trump. We need a revolution in Class-Consciousness which talks about the connection between the rapid rise of condominiums and luxury housing on one end and the rapid rise of foreclosures and homelessness encampments on the other. We can’t continue to see one end without understanding the means by which capital produces these disparities. We have the tools and knowledge to do better, the responsibility falls on those willing to take the mantle to do better.

Everyday the gap between the rich and poor further widens. The income inequality gap has become a chasm unseen before in the history of humanity. A chasm many Americans can’t ever climb out of, condemned to perpetual poverty. As the numbers of stocks rise on Wall Street, we see the rise of financial insecurity. We need a socialistic approach to the problems of our district.

In education the same is happening, students and their educational opportunities are being commodified most fervently by Republicans like Eli Broad, Reed Hastings the Walton Family through Privatization schemes like Charter Schools and Voucherization. Enough is enough.

The time to for “Fight Back” is here. The battle between Labor and Capital has never been more pronounced.

We need to resist but we also need to further push the conversations well beyond the light chitchat to the real conversation which is: Capitalism has failed and society has great solutions for how to develop a morally just economy.

Some Examples:

Green New Deal

Guaranteed Federal Jobs Program

Second Bill of Rights

Ranked Choice Voting

Publicly Financed Electoral Campaigns

Workers Centers/Councils

And the Abolition of the Electoral College to name some ideas worth pursuing.

America is among the youngest first world nations and these next two years and the 2020 election will be perhaps the most defining years of Americas short life of only 243 years.

Thanks

Taylor Gill

My name is Taylor Gill and I’m running with my fellow SFV Progressives to be an ADEM delegate in the 39th district. Over the past few years as a documentary filmmaker, I witnessed the struggle at Standing Rock, covered the water crisis in Flint and East Chicago, documented the voter disenfranchisement in the California primary, and spoke with countless Bernie delegates at the 2016 DNC. The recurring theme is always ‘the people vs the powerful and I am here to fight for the 99%. These powerful corporations and lobbyists have corrupted our system and regularly influence our politicians and elections with large donations in order to maintain the status quo. As an ADEM delegate, the policies I believe in include Medicare for all, public banks, workers and union rights, increased public school spending, and a robust and realistic plan to address climate change. While working at The Young Turks, I covered countless progressive issues and met a variety of inspirational activists and leaders. Our home has been an ‘Our Revolution headquarters and we’ve hosted numerous phone banks and canvassing events for Bernie Sanders and other local progressives. With the current state of this country, I feel a direct responsibility to pay attention, to engage locally, and to fight for the policies that benefit the majority – not just the people at the top.

Dan Gordan

Dan was a pledged delegate for Bernie Sanders, a field organizer for Katie Porter for Congress in Orange County, and he hosts the Schmolitics Podcast. Dan runs communications for progressive candidates including Beth Finn for Philadelphia City Council. For the 2018 election, Dan also volunteered to get out the vote in swing districts with the millennial organization, Swing the Seven. First elected as a delegate in 2017, Dan uses social media and his podcast to bring audiences inside the political party process to increase transparency, accountability, support for Medicare for All, and the progressive movement.

Stan Moroncini

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, grew up in the San Fernando Valley and joined the army after high school where I served for the next 15 years. I currently work as a program manager for the government and want to be a delegate to continue to push the Democratic Party to be the best it can for the nation and all Americans.